-Houkiboshi
(Shooting Star) by Younha. I like this song so much that it's not
even funny.

Chapter
10

Sakura
bit her lip. This kind of situation was happening much too often for
her liking, and it was getting old. The dainty scrap of cloth Rin had
just given her was what she was supposed to wear.

"And
exactly where am I supposed to hide my weapons?" she
demanded.

"Be
creative," the woman replied evasively. Sakura fought down the urge
to throttle the shinobi standing before her, and held it up.

It
was beautifully sewn, and the material was soft and finely woven, but
there was just so little of it! At least it was in a color
that suited her– a dyed maroon, dark as dried blood. It was thin,
and Sakura had no doubt that she would have to search out a sweater
to wear over it. The skirt ended before her fingertips, and it was
strapless and backless.

"And
this, when you get that dirty," Rin added, handing her a folded
stack of clothing. Sakura's cheek muscle twitched as she picked up
the topmost piece. It was more like underwear than proper clothing,
and the bottom was equally as bad. The kunoichi refolded it, sucking
in air through her mouth deeply, and faced her superior.

"No."

"No?"

Rin's
eyebrows went upwards, almost touching her hairline. The reddish
brown stripes on her face stretched. Sakura's beryl eyes steeled
against her.

"I
won't wear that. And I won't wear that dress either." Sakura
said firmly. The woman's face cracked into a smirk.

"It's
about time you stood up for yourself." She turned to rummage in
another wardrobe, bringing out another stack of clothing. "Now,
these are your real clothes for this mission."

---

Itachi
stood, hefting his pack over his shoulder when a knock sounded at the
door.

"Come
in," he ordered. Sakura's head emerged from beyond the threshold.

"I'm
ready," she murmured, a bit timidly. As Rin had taken her away to
'outfit her properly', Itachi had been forced to delay their
departure time, and as a result, they were behind schedule. She
wasn't sure if that would make him irritable or not.

Sakura
was dressed in a simple yet stylish snowy dress, with roseate cherry
blossom petals trailing around the edges randomly, matching her hair
perfectly. The skirt ended three inches above her kneecap, flaring
out and swirling delicately when she moved, and the bodice hugged her
slender frame neatly. Her cerise locks were combed out and neatly
arranged to frame her face, and her ruined hitai-ate was nowhere in
sight. She held a pair of delicate fawn sandals in her hand, and was
currently trying to stuff them into her pack. For now, her footwear
was a pair of practical boots, suitable for the running they were
going have to do through the treetops.

"Let's
go."

---

Somehow,
they made it in time to the appointment, and Sakura even had time to
duck behind a tree, neaten up and change her shoes. When she emerged
from her concealed niche, the two strange men facing Itachi were
startled by her sudden appearance

"Is
this the one, Inji-san?" the taller one asked interestedly. Itachi
nodded silently, Sharingan whirling ominously. In accordance with
Rin's wishes, he would bear another name on the mission to prevent
identification: Satou Inji. "Excellent. Well then, Shingo-san, our
contract ends here."

He
turned to the shorter samurai beside him, and shook hands
courteously. Without a single word, the mercenary turned and vanished
into the surrounding trees with surprising ease. The man turned and
smiled at Sakura.

"I
am Ubike Hiroshi. Let's get along well." He held out a hand, and
Sakura took it, making sure to exert a little strength in that
handshake, signifying that she was not an ordinary kunoichi.

"Heishin
Mitsuko. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Sakura, too, had to
bear another moniker, although she was not as infamous as her
partner. While they exchanged polite courtesies, Itachi took the
opportunity to disappear and change. While on the road, they would be
disguised. Sakura would be Hiroshi's consort, and Itachi would be a
common soldier whom Hiroshi had engaged temporarily.

Unlike
Sakura, Itachi was dressed very plainly, perhaps even a little
shabbily. He wore a plain cotton shirt under a fraying leather vest
which served as his armor, gray pants, and blue sandals. His eyes
were black, and his hair was left free to fly as it wished.

Hiroshi
smiled politely at Itachi, who didn't bother with the pleasantry.

"Shall
we go now?" he suggested, offering an arm to his new female
counterpart. She smiled, and obliged him.

---

Hiroshi
and Sakura walked together, chatting politely about the weather,
about the political situation, about anything that came to Sakura's
mind. He was surprisingly well educated about the arts and
literature, and Sakura's intellect proved to be a match for his.
The two debated for a while on whether abortion should be banned,
Sakura arguing for, and Hiroshi against. Itachi walked ahead
silently, using his Katon to burn out a path when the trees and
bushes grew too thick to penetrate easily. Hearing the animated
discussion behind him, something stirred within his chest, a dull
ache which he banished with sheer force of will.

"Abortion
is a woman's right! If she chooses not to carry the child to term
for reasons of her own, she should be allowed to. Would you rather
that the child be born and suffer all its life if the mother cannot
care for it, or that the baby never experience hardship?" Sakura
shot, fired up about the issue at hand.

"A
life is a life, Sakura, no matter how young or small it may be. To do
what you have said would be like killing a young puppy because it was
ugly, or perhaps because it was not needed. Even if the child has not
emerged into this world yet, it has a right to live. A right to
experience life, hardship and joy both. It has a right to survive,"
Hiroshi responded passionately.

The
argument was running on, back and forth, back and forth, and had
anyone asked, Itachi probably would've blatantly complained that
they were wearing his ears out. Couldn't they at least pick a
subject he wouldn't mind listening to? The latest reports of
military movements, new alliances broken alliances, wars, something
of interest! Anything! He focused on the forest around him,
trying to get his attention off the incessant chatter behind him.

"Hiroshi-sama,
you only say that because you are a lord. You have everything you'll
ever need. You don't know what it feels like to be abandoned, to
feel lost, to not know what you are looking for in life. It's not a
pleasant experience, you know. My teammate can attest to that. But he
is unusual, and no one can ever hope to emulate him. That's why I
say, if the woman decides not to carry her child, it is her choice."
Sakura ended the argument firmly, leaving no room for more debate.
Itachi's mind relaxed.

Finally.

---

Sasori
lowered Sasuke onto the ground, using his energy to activate two
pairs of short chakra-absorbing chains. He locked the cuffs around
the unconscious Sasuke's feet and wrists, and stood back to admire
his work. Just in case the chains were unable to deal with the boy's
chakra, Kisame would come by once a day to drain him. With the
restraints on, he would be unable to move far.

Deidara
brought over a small bottle of green paste and a handful of linen
cloths. The nin of the Red Sand smeared the ointment over their
captive's various cuts roughly, tied the bandages on excessively
tight; it was a wonder Sasuke's blood circulation was able to
continue.

"We're
done now." Sasori dusted off his hands and rose to his feet,
gesturing for Deidara to move out of the room. When he pulled the
door shut behind him, it was revealed that the inner side of the door
had no knob.

---

They
had been walking for hours, and Hiroshi was getting noticeably tired,
although Sakura and Itachi were almost as fresh as they had begun.

"Are
we camping for the night, or have you arranged to stay with someone?"
Itachi asked, his voice, as always, deadpan emotionless.

"My
friend, Yuushi Satsuko, has agreed to put us up tonight. The two of
you have been welcomed to stay, as well. Her house is about half a
mile away," Hiroshi replied.

---

Their
hostess, Yuushi Sateru, was a friendly lady with three children at
her heels. Evidently, her husband was away on business, and the three
were shown to a pair of connecting rooms, one with two single beds,
and another with a double bed.

"You
and I will take the two single beds," Sakura told Hiroshi. He
nodded in agreement.

"No.
I will share a room with him," Itachi cut in, looking as bored as
usual. Sakura moved a few meters away, and Itachi joined her at her
furious gesture.

"Do
you think that I am unable to guard one person for the night?" she
hissed under her breath, aware that Hiroshi was trying to overhear
her conversation with the infuriating man before her.

"Yes."
Itachi's answer was as blunt as usual.

Sakura's
eyes narrowed.

"Good
night, Hiroshi-sama," she almost snapped at him.

Stalking
stiff-legged into the next room, she slammed the door in between
closed. The click of the lock turning sounded loud in the silence
which fell over the two men.

---

A/N:
Ah, many apologies for the delay! My beta reader, Iyakon Sobek, was
busy and I forgot to bother her for the chapter, so… XD.

That
aside, I've created a writing journal at Livejournal, under the
username 'flarium'. Feel free to see what else I write there, I
post more there than I do here. Unknown to most people here, I also
write yaoi and yuri, most of which is not posted on
Fanfiction(dot)Net.

Sorry
for the delay again!

-windborne.

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.